Meso-scale transboundary units for the management of coral reefs in the South China Sea area

Local communities and local government units are recognized as the primary stakeholders and participants in the management of coral reef resources and the primary beneficiaries of small-scale fishing activities in the nearshore areas of the coastal zone. The issues relating to the management of the coastal zone are multi-faceted and some issues are largely intertwined with national policy and development goals. Thus, national governments have jurisdiction over these nearshore coastal resources to harmonize policies, monitor resource use and provide incentives for sustainable use. However, the natural boundaries of these reef resources, the processes that support reef ecosystems, and the local or national affiliation of the people who benefit from them may transcend the boundaries of the local and national management units. Therefore, efforts to arrest the decline in fish catch and loss of biodiversity for reefs require management interventions and assessment activities to be carried out at varying scales. In Southeast Asia, some aspects of reef and reef resources management — particularly in deciding the allocation of catch among competing fisheries, development of sustainable harvest strategies, use of broodstock for restocking or stock enhancement programs, protection of nursery and spawning areas, designation of systems of marine protected areas, and the identification of representative, adequate and comprehensive areas for biodiversity conservation in the region — may require the definition of larger management units. At the regional level, multi-country initiatives will need to define units for the transboundary management of resources. The use of large marine ecosystems (LMEs) to identify and manage fisheries resources may be a starting point; however, given the relatively sedentary nature of coral reef-dwelling and reef-associated organisms compared with other pelagic and demersal species, meso-scale transboundary units within the LMEs have to be defined. This paper provides suggestions for transboundary management units for coral reef and reef-associated resources in Southeast Asia based on information from genetic structures of model organisms in the region. In addition, specific reef areas are identified, which may be important beyond their national boundaries, as potential sources of recruits.

Indicators for management of coral reefs and their applications to marine protected areas

Informed planning and decision-making in the management of natural resources requires an ability to integrate complex interactions in ecosystems and communicate these effectively to stakeholders. This involves coping with three fundamental dilemmas. The first comes from the irregular pulse of nature. The second is the recognition that there are no strictly objective criteria for judging the well-being of an ecosystem. The third is posed by the quest for indicators with some integrative properties that may be used to analyze an ecosystem and impart the information to the relevant resource users. This paper presents some examples of indicators used to: 1) assess the status of a coral reef and, in particular, the state of its fisheries resources; 2) identify reefs that are most threatened by human activities; and 3) evaluate the likelihood of success of management interventions. These indicators are not exhaustive, but illustrate the range of options available for the management of coral reef ecosystems.

Indicators for management of coral reefs and their applications to marine protected areas

Informed planning and decision-making in the management of natural resources requires an ability to integrate complex interactions in ecosystems and communicate these effectively to stakeholders. This involves coping with three fundamental dilemmas. The first comes from the irregular pulse of nature. The second is the recognition that there are no strictly objective criteria for judging the “well-being” of an ecosystem. The third is posed by the quest for indicators with some integrative properties that may be used to analyze an ecosystem and impart the information to the relevant resource users. This paper presents some examples of indicators used to: 1) assess the status of a coral reef and, in particular, the state of its fisheries resources; 2) identify reefs that are most threatened by human activities; and 3) evaluate the likelihood of success of management interventions. These indicators are not exhaustive, but illustrate the range of options available for the management of coral reef ecosystems.

Community fisheries management of freshwater lakes in Bangladesh

The Oxbow Lakes Small Scale Fishermen Project in western Bangladesh is primarily a Social Fisheries Project. The project aims at self-management of the Oxbow lakes fishing and fish farming by members of the local communities and the sharing of the benefits in an equitable manner. Project emphasis is on social and institutional aspects of the community water resource management and on improving the fish yields through better fisheries practices.

Management of wetland resources in the lower Mekong Basin: issues and future directions

The Lower Mekong Basin has extensive wetlands and these are being threatened by numerous problems. Most of these problems are interdependent and interact with one another. The lack of an appropriate definition of wetlands applicable to the region, pervasive inefficiencies and chronic lack of funds among riparian governments, and the poor appreciation of the true economic importance of wetlands and its resources are among the most prominent. The current definition, based on the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971), is too broad when compared to the understanding of wetlands as being swamps, marshes and the like, and was developed specifically for wetlands with international importance as waterfowl habitats. Furthermore, wetlands are composed of different types of resources, which require different modes of management. Often, institutional competition, overlapping mandates and sometimes jealousies occur between government departments when they try to assert their authority on a particular wetland resource and use, and put forward their development plans without considering how these may conflict with other wetlands uses. Finally, effective wetland management requires reliable statistics or information on rate of harvest of natural resources such as fish and others, fishing/harvesting methods over time in order to determine the level of exploitation, and the status of the natural resources. This information is needed to identify opportunities for expansion, to establish historical trends, and to determine when management interventions are necessary to protect the resources from being overused by other developments. In order to address these issues, ICLARM - The World Fish Center has launched a project, the aim of objectives of which are described in this paper.

Report of frame survey of the Kyoga basin lakes 2002

A comprehensive Frame survey was carried out in lakes Kwania, Kyoga and the Kyoga basin minor lakes which include Lake Sisina in 2002 (Figure 1). The Frame survey was coordinated by the Department of Fisheries Resources (DFR) assisted by the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NAFIRRI) with technical support. The riparian districts through the sub-county fisheries offices and the BMUs provided the enumerators and supervisors. The frame survey captured all the important characteristics of the fisheries and facilities supporting the fisheries and thus provides a strong baseline for future reference of management interventions in the basin.

Report of frame survey of the Kyoga basin lakes 2008

A comprehensive Frame survey was carried out on lakes Kwania, Bisina, Nakuwa, Kyoga and other minor lakes in the Lake Kyoga Basin in June 2008 (Figure 1). The Frame survey was coordinated by the Department of Fisheries Resources (DFR) in collaboration with the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) in terms of technical support. The riparian districts through the sub-county fisheries offices and the BMUs provided the enumerators and supervisors. The frame survey captured all the important characteristics of the fisheries and facilities supporting the fisheries and thus provides a strong baseline for future reference of management interventions in the basin.

Report of the frame survey of Lake Albert carried out in January 2007

A comprehensive Frame survey was carried out by the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NAFIRRI) in Lake Albert in January 2007. The frame survey captured the main characteristics of the fisheries and facilities supporting the fisheries and provides baseline information for reference of other studies as well as management interventions.

Preliminary assessment of the artisanal fishery sector around Lac Maï-Ndombe in the Lac Tele-Lac Tumba (LTL) CARPE Landscape

The WorldFish Center was contracted by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to lead a preliminary assessment of the Lac Maï-Ndombe fishery, one of three water bodies for which such an assessment will be completed in the Lac Tele-Lac Tumba Landscape of the CARPE program. Between Aug.29-Sept.5, 2007, a joint WorldFish Center-WWF team traveled to Lac Maï-Ndombe in Bandundu Province, and conducted an analysis of the conditions surrounding the fishery and fisherfolk livelihoods in a total of 19 villages and camps. Included in this assessment were preliminary analyses of market-chain networks and stakeholders’ receptivity to NGO capacity-building to improve commercialization of fish catches and/or to introduce local fisheries management regimes. While perceptions of declining fish stocks prevail, the absence of changes in reported fish sizes bring into doubt any urgent need for fishery management interventions. However, lacking scientific fish population structure data the team would not recommend any NGO interventions to increase fishing effort. Lac Maï-Ndombe fisherfolk have highly diversified levels of dependence on fishing, and while there is evidence that some stakeholder groups are flourishing, the majority of the fishery appears to be characterized by a livelihood insecurity and a lack of capital. This limits fishers’ abilities to negotiate with transporters and with Kinshasa-based market brokers, and in combination with a heavy burden of rent-seeking behavior by civil servants, this condition forces over half of the fishers to sell their fish and buy all manufactured products through local intermediaries at disadvantageous prices.